Zero Blight/Mildew on squash w/ Horsetail/Equisetum

[ZeroFossilFuel]

Oh MAN! White powdery mildew is a BIG problem in my garden. I have to try this!

[dkulikowski]

Thank you Paul . You mentioned Borage, chop & drop. Leaving the root in, does that mean it will grow back? Just keep chopping and dropping. Is Tansy also great for the garden soil? I use Tansy, Peppermint, Spearmint and Oregano as companion plants.But I am almost sure if I chop&drop the mints and oregano THEY MIGHT ROOT. I think I heard Yarrow is also a good garden fixer, true? Chop & drop Yarrow? If you have time I would be delighted if you would join my garden forum. larksperennials

[paulwheaton12]

@dkulikowski we have tons of threads about all these things at the forums at permies. There is so much to say. Overall, the answer is "it depends." Chop and drop can be done in a lot of ways: light shade/mulch vs. heavy smother mulch.

[Janice11353]

I do 'like this sort of thing'... thank you!

[TRYER25]

If the Blueberries and veggies are that good, I'm going to start pissing in my garden as well.

[claywade77]

I think the one "dislike" is this guys neighbor, the one who does not practice organic gardening.

[PDelisha1]

Thank you for this info. I have an area on my property with lots of horsetail! I grow a nice garden too so this is information I'll let others know about.

[sookiestackhouse2u]

cute guy in the beard ... yummy crop indeed.

[ThanksgivingWalk]

Congratulations on such a beautiful and natural garden. Youtube has been a real blessing and an abundant Permaculture resource due to so many other Permaculturists willing to sacrafice their time and share their knowledge.

Thanks so much for sharing and I look forward to more of your videsos. Would you consider doing a video on mixing and applying the horsetail concokion?

God bless,

TGW - USA - Louisiana

[SalmonSlayer1991]

whats the exact recipe? to make this equisetum?

[Briankerkvliet]

To clarify a few things, #1 we do have lots of bugs, birds, and frogs to create a balanced ecosystem. #2 This patch was rotokilled for 40 + years before we changed it to a no till polyculture system. To bring back into balance by sheet mulching & use of the 18" U-bar to aerate the compacted soil created by a rotokiller. 5 years ago I had 4-6" of topsoil the rest was mineral hard pan. Now the organic layer goes down 20+" growing every year as roots left rot and heavy equipment is kept off.

[EKWisner]

The video sound cuts out, but I can see Brian describing the biodynamic tea activation process, where you stir clockwise and anticlockwise.

A biodynamic winemaker told me the science literature around biodynamics is junk - faked-up theories to explain these awesome and consistent results. But the results are unbeatable. I daresay it works more like prayer (see double-blind testing of prayer). Some effect comes from the material, but even more from the focusing of energy and intention.

[Briankerkvliet]

@EKWisner you are correct in seeing my biodynamic stirring action in the video, I believe that intention during the stirring does have a beneficial effect. However Horsetail tea is a good source of silica. Delivered to other plants so that they can assimilate it into their cellular structure. Silica helps strengthen the cell walls helping protect it from pests and mildew. Applied to plants before any sign of problems help strengthen the plants natural defenses. See oregonbd.org/Class/Mod1.htm

[EKWisner]

@Briankerkvliet Thanks for explaining the biochemistry. I suppose we get so used to solving garden problems with a dump truck and backhoe, that it's a surprise how little micronutrient they actually need to thrive. Knowledge + attention + care = excellence. I just felt like Paul left out the end of the process, and since biodynamics uses that process consistently, it might matter too.

[DrMediterranean]

@Briankerkvliet How often do you apply the Equisetum tea to the squash leaves?

[NeverGrowBack]

Nice..

[valorie1111]

LOOK at those gorgeous squash plants! I had the worst mildew problems last summer on my squash, grapes and cucumbers. I am SO grateful for this video! And I'm going to get my hands on some equisetum this year...

[chuckthelumberjack]

Paul please keep visiting all these interesting places and continue to make these very informative videos!

[rebeccadane211]

Wow, that is really amazing! What a great garden and he doesn't even have to water!

[mxjane]

We sprayed milk / water mixture on our squash and it worked great too!

[CurrentWave]

Paul your video skills just keep getting better and better ♥ I really like this one.  No water, who would have known!

[ahnamay]

Brian does amazing things at his farm! And he has awesome workshops there, too.